More and more Brits are relocating to France. Photograph: Arnaud Chicurel/Hermis/Corbis

This week it was reported that every day last year almost 700 Britons moved abroad. We packed our bags for the sand, sea and surfing great outdoors image of Australia, or the home-from-home-but-with-sunshine that is the Costas. But still many of us have that enduring love affair with near-neighbour France, hankering after that rambling farmhouse for the price of a semi and swapping the commuter train for a gentle cycle ride to pick up a breakfast baguette. Here we look at the reality of the romantic dream:

Getting a visa

There are no restrictions on living and working in France for EU nationals. All a migrating Brit needs is a valid passport. According to EU law, however, you must obtain a residence permit if you are staying for more than 90 consecutive days. Apply for a Carte de séjour de ressortissant de l'Union Européenne at your local préfecture or police station. This is granted on production of a valid passport and various documents. For a full list, visit the "move to France" section at consulfrance-londres.org

Employment and salaries

The top requirement of Brits aiming to live and work long-term is to learn French. The government is highly protective of the language, so anyone without a solid grasp of French will find it hard to get a formal position.

Unemployment is high - currently in the region of 10%. So while expatriate employees are welcome into the workplace by managers keen to attract more flexible employees with international exposure, employers are likely to be encouraged to recruit locally unless there is a skills shortage in your particular field.

Be warned - advice from the European Commission on Eures, the European job mobility portal at europa.eu.int/eures (worth a visit) says: "Finding a job is not easy. As in other places, many jobs are given to acquaintances or through the old-boy network.

"A broad network of acquaintances will therefore help 'pull a few strings' and give you a better chance of finding a job ... searching for openings in the press, the ANPE (National Employment Agency at anpe.fr) or the internet are the traditional avenues ... vacancies are often not published, hence the importance of contacts and networking."

Salaries are generally lower across the board than the UK. See the latest Robert Walters salary survey at robertwalters.com/salarysurvey for for information on setting up a business, contact the French chamber of commerce at ccfgb.co.uk. Tel: 020 7304 4040.

Cost of living

Despite the relatively high levels of VAT (taxe sur la valeur ajoutee) 19.6%, which constitutes around 45% of government revenue, most consumer goods, including cars, petrol, food and alcohol, are cheaper than in Britain.

The cost of utilities is generally on a par with here. Electricity bills are lower because of the nation's greater reliance on nuclear power. The size of your water bill depends on the amount you use, as it is measured by a water meter, but prices are comparable with the UK.

If you are a property owner, you have to pay taxes which fund local services and are determined at a local level, but are significantly less than British council tax.

Income tax is lower than the UK but, when added to mandatory social security payments which entitle you to basic health cover, and other indirect taxes, the burden becomes greater.

For examples of individual item prices, visit Eures at europa.eu.int/eures. This quotes the typical monthly food budget, for example, as between £114 and £190, the average cost of a cinema ticket as £6.80 and a restaurant meal as £10.50-£13. For more information about taxes, visit impots.gouv.fr and institut-francais.org.uk/fiscal

Healthcare

Before moving, apply at any main post office for an application form for the new European health insurance card (EHIC). It will entitle you to free emergency healthcare plus certain types of ongoing care. Though intended for people who are ordinarily resident in the UK, it is a useful back-up during your first few months in France.

As soon as you take up a job or have a state pension transferred, you need to be registered with the social security system, which will entitle you to use the state healthcare service.

You can register in France with any GP (médecin généraliste) or dentist you wish - these are listed like any other professionals in Pages Jaunes (Yellow Pages). But make sure that any doctor or dentist you consult is "conventionné" - that they work within the sickness insurance scheme. You pay upfront for consulting a GP and for prescription drugs, and then apply for a refund to your local Caisse Primaire d'Assurance Maladie (CPAM).

Social security cover is only partial, so it's advisable to top it up with private insurance.

House prices

House prices have risen steadily over the past decade and are now more than double what they were in 1997, though price inflation has recently slowed right down. But they still remain generally cheaper than southern England. The average house price in 2006 was £119,300 compared with £187,100 in the UK, according to the Halifax.

The focus for Brits has changed from the south-east to the north-west, as some of the areas traditionally popular, such as Provence and the Cote D'Azur have become too expensive, according to Doug Stewart, director of France-based property specialist FPSI (france-property-and-information.com). He says buyers are now looking at areas like Brittany, Normandy and Pas de Calais.

Around 80% of the population live in urban areas where industries and services are concentrated. Examples of the average price for a 120 square metre property (roughly equivalent to a three-bed house) are:

Brittany £169,500

Lower Normandy £155,200

Upper Normandy £170,000

Nord-Pas-de-Calais £166,700 (Calais and surrounding region)

Provence/Alps/Cote D'Azur £287,700

Ile-de-France £266,500 (Paris and surrounding region)

Paris (city alone) £548,200

Prices are based on figures from France's national federation of estate agents (fnaim.fr).

Education

School is compulsory from six to 16, and free education is provided in state schools, from nursery to higher education. You will find a lot of information at consulfrance-londres.org.

·Further information: Living and Working in France by David Hampshire (survivalbooks.net)

·One-day seminars are offered at around £100 per person by Relocate France - details at relocate-france.